One of the few remaining pieces from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ historic defensive unit in 2017, cornerback A.J. Bouye is now reportedly also on his way out. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jags will trade Bouye to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. The deal won’t be finalized until the official start of the new league year on March 18.
The Broncos and Jaguars have agreed on a trade that would send cornerback A.J. Bouye to Denver for a 2020 fourth-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
The trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins March 18th.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2020
The looming trade is certainly a surprising move from both sides, but also provides insight towards some of Denver’s plans in free agency. Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris Jr. is a free agent so the latest deal could mean the Broncos have no plans to retain the veteran DB. However, Harris Jr. does most of his work in the slot so he could certainly be a quality fit next to A.J. Bouye.
For the Jags, the trade seems like an effort to usher in a whole new era. Still, Jacksonville has questions marks all over their roster so it’s questionable as to why they would move one of their more solid pieces. After trading away Jalen Ramsey last season, Bouye was one of the only standout pieces remaining in their defensive backfield.
Both teams are set to have busy offseasons and will have key decisions to make on the defensive side of the football. Now with Bouye in town, Denver will have to decide the fate of Chris Harris Jr. while the Jags must also make a final decision on whether or not they plan to franchise tag defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.
We could see some more trades agreed upon before the NFL offseason really begins to ramp up with free agency commencing in less than two weeks on March 16.
